Spirit's Truth
by Laina Inverse
Summary: As the junior priest of a local temple, Shuuichi Minamino is told of a spirit that is haunting a nearby park. While the initial plan is to banish the poor thing, he finds himself drawn into a very different direction once he learns of some very interesting details.


Spirit's Truth

The park was quiet and chilly this late at night, empty of pedestrian traffic as it was. His own footsteps seemed to echo on the pavement as he walked towards the swings that everyone was claiming had a new haunt. It wasn't his first call for something like this, though he hoped _this_ spirit wouldn't be a fight. He'd had enough of that from the last three...

The play area was just as deserted as the rest of the park; one swing was moving lightly back and forth, as though someone had just gotten off it, but to normal sight, there was no one there. Shuuichi closed his eyes,murmuring a quick prayer, then opened them again, and saw her.

His heart twisted a little; this spirit was young, she looked about his age, give or take maybe a year. Her hair was dark, bound back in a braid that wafted loosely in a manner that hair typically wasn't supposed to, not in line at all with the idle way she was swinging. If that hadn't been clue enough, he could faintly see the chain of the swing through her hands.

But it was the clear,lost expression that stood out most.

He couldn't let her linger like this. Spirits were meant to move on when their time was up.

She looked up as he walked over, then away in a manner that suggested she didn't think he saw her. Something about her was familiar; he could swear he'd seen her before, but where...?

After a moment he shook his head lightly. Better to not know, just in case he accidentally tethered her to the world.

He settled, after a moment, on the swing next to her, then looked over again. It never seemed fair to find spirits her age or younger; dying too young to even have a chance at life. And why _did_ she look so familiar? There hadn't been a death in this park that he'd heard of for a good couple years, but this haunting was less than a month old.

"Do you know what's holding you here?" he finally asked, breaking the silence with care.

She jumped, and had enough of a presence to make the swing chains rattle and jolt with her reaction.

"W... what?" She turned to face him fully now, brown eyes wide in surprise. "You can _see_ me?"

Shuuichi had to smile, if a bit sadly. A spirit long enough to realize that she was invisible to the more ordinary people, it seemed. And there were plenty of priests that couldn't actually see or sense spirits.

"I can. I'd like to help you, if you'll let me."

"...who are you?"

"Minamino Shuuichi. A priest in training over at the Sakurahito shrine."

"Oh..." She made a slight face. "I think there's been a couple people like you here before. Nothing they tried worked... but I guess they couldn't really see me either. They just blessed the swings and called it a day. I think."

He sighed a little, smiling ruefully.

"Yes, there are those like that. Do you know what binds you here?"

"Binds?" she looked confused for a minute, then laughed. "I'm not bound! I just like this park. I think my house is close by but... I can't really remember where." Her expression turned wistful. "I wish I could... I'd like to see my idiot brother and Mom again..."

"If you could, do you think that would help you ascend?"

She shrugged.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Minamino-saishi. I suppose I'm lingering for _some_ reason, but I don't know what it is. And this park feels like the right place to be."

"Did something important happen to you here?"

To his surprise, she turned pink and looked away.

"Not... really..."

He reached over and very gently nudged her hand; with his own spiritual abilities, he could feel her energy as though it was her skin. It made _her_ jump about a foot though, and phase through the chain on the other side, to land on the ground in wide-eyed shock.

He tried not to laugh, he really did... But he'd never had a spirit react quite in that manner before. After a moment, she just glared at him.

"Oh laugh, idiot," and her tone was tart. "You're going to turn as red as your hair."

He chuckled, covering his mouth with his sleeve.

"I apologize," he said, smiling at her. "I didn't mean to startle you."

She just snorted, and got up, brushing herself off in a reflexive move that stilled when she realized the sand hadn't stuck to her back. After a moment she returned to sitting on the swing, and he found it interesting to note that even though she _knew_ she was dead, she still moved like a living person.

Slowly, her swing started to move again, idly back and forth as she studied her knees. He waited patiently, sensing more than anything else that she was considering what to say.

"We moved to this area a couple years ago, after a fire in our apartment," she finally said. "Stupid summer arsonist. Lucky us, my brother and I had been on a trip, and Mom was out the day it happened... My brother was kind of annoyed about moving, because it took him away from his girlfriend, and he took it out on me, so we fought and I stomped away after decking him for being a twit."

She was smiling a little, sadly, and Shuuichi reached over to lightly touch her shoulder. She didn't jump this time, but she did slant him a startled look. After a moment she sighed.

"It's not like I was happy about the move either, but..well, I guess for him it was more personal. I wandered in here, and just sort of people-watched for a while. Some bullies were trying to pick on a few kids, so I scared them off. I guess my mood attracted attention, cause I remember someone sitting down to talk with me when I found a bench..." she paused, and peered at him for a moment with a faint frown, "Kind of like this, actually. I remember he was really nice and just listened to me vent..."

Shuuichi blinked a little; that sounded _very_ familiar...

"I thought... well, I thought I'd like to see him again, but then school started, and I was too busy keeping my brother from doing his typical stupid crap, so I couldn't ever find the time to come back. I guess part of me is hoping that if I wait here long enough... maybe I can tell him thanks. Kind of stupid, huh?"

She laughed a little, but he saw what looked like tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.

"It seems a sensible thing to me," he said after a moment. "Thanking someone who was kind to you while you were unhappy. Do you know who it was?"

She sighed and shook her head.

"I can't even remember what he looked like," she said glumly. "Ever since waking up a ghost, my memory has been full of all kinds of holes. No idea where home is, can't remember what that guy looked like; hell, even my own damn _name_ escapes me! How pitiful is that, huh?"

Well, that did explain another part of why she couldn't figure out how to get back to her family. It was a pretty puzzle she presented him, actually, and that story of hers... why did he feel like he was forgetting something he ought to recall?

"It's not uncommon for those who've died in traumatic ways to forget things," he finally said. "I could possibly help a little with that, if you'd like?"

"How?"

"Come back to the temple with me; we can go through some old scrolls, and maybe find one that returns a spirit's memory to them."

She blinked at him a few times, then nodded a little hesitantly. Shuuichi got up from his swing and waited for her to do the same before heading off in the direction of the shrine.

* * *

"...I've never been here before," she said, looking around curiously. "I think I always meant to, but life kept getting in the way."

"I does have a habit of doing that," he replied with a smile. "My mother was a shrine maiden here for part of her life, and always loved to visit, even after she was married. My older brother, Kurama, worked here for a time, but he never really had the patience or the belief to stick around. I find it rather peaceful, though..."

"I bet you get a lot of girls visiting," she said, and he heard a hint of teasing in her voice; when he glanced at her, she was smiling a little, and there was a glitter of humor in her brown eyes.

"Well... yes," he rubbed the back of his neck a bit sheepishly as he stepped onto the long porch. "It was worse with my brother..."

She grinned, and he found the smile much more pleasing than the lost look of before. He carefully slid open the door to the training hall, looking around carefully; most of his fellows were sleeping, but sometimes there was someone here, meditating at the sacred fire.

Tonight, it seemed luck was with him; the room was empty, and there was no signs that anyone was in the scroll room either.

"You know, you don't have to do this right now," she pointed out, idly floating along with him as he headed for the scroll rooms. "You could get some sleep and look in the morning."

"I could," he agreed. "But it seems a bit unfair to make you wait when you've already been waiting for a while."

She just shrugged, looking around curiously as he slid the second door open. He watched as she winced a little, and cocked his head curiously.

"...some of those are really bright," she said, catching his look. "I didn't see things like this when I was alive, I don't think... It's weird."

"I suppose it would be disconcerting," he nodded a little. "That section there is full of banishing teachings. Some are... more vehement than others."

"I'd believe it."

He smiled a little, heading away from that particular section and farther back to the older scrolls. It was plausibly going to be a long night, but if it helped her, then it would be well worth it.

"You're welcome to explore, if you'd like," he said, gathering an armful of them. "It will probably be a bit dull just waiting here."

To his surprise, she shook her head.

"I'll stay. You're the first person who's tried to do something for me instead of at me. I don't know much about... this, but maybe I can help somehow. And besides," she smiled wryly, "somehow I doubt that a spirit wandering temple grounds would go unnoticed for very long."

"...That is an excellent point. I'm sorry I can't offer anything else..."

"It's fine," and to his surprise she sat cross-legged in the air. "Really. I'm... I'm just glad to have someone to talk to at this point."

He smiled sympathetically, taking the scrolls to a corner of the room where he settled in to start reading.

* * *

"What about that?" she asked, pointing to one line of the old text. "It seemed plausible enough."

"Perhaps..."

This scrolls seemed at least somewhat more useful than the rest, but he was going to need to read it carefully; restoring memory, it seemed, was tricky work, and usually required something from the spirit itself... something from when they'd been alive.

"...Minamino-sashi?"

"Hmm?"

"It's getting on towards dawn. In the interest of not upsetting anyone else here, I should probably get going, and _you_ should go to bed."

He smiled a little at her stern tone, yawning a little.

"Perhaps you are right. Will you remain there, at the swings?"

She smiled, nodding a little.

"And... y'know, even if you can't help... Thanks. For trying. I... I don't think a lot of people in my life have."

She kissed his cheek, surprising him, then zipped off, out through the walls while he was staring. Her words rang a bell in the back of his mind, a memory he'd mostly forgotten pulling at him... but again, the specifics eluded him.

With a sigh, he started very carefully copying the details on the scroll; he was going to have to do some running around to get more information on her as well. Her name would be a heavily useful lead, but he didn't expect he'd get that easily...

* * *

"Shuuichi, m'boy, we need you to do something for us today," the elderly head priest said when Shuuichi had finished with his breakfast. "The nearby hospital called; they have someone who's passing on, and wishes a priest to be there."

"...and as the junior priest at the moment, that duty falls to me..." he sighed a little. This was going to cut into his time to help the spirit.

"Afraid so. You all right boy? That spirit last night didn't give you trouble?"

"Not... trouble," he said carefully. "But there are some interesting, extenuating circumstances. I'm trying to learn who she is, even, because I think if I learn that,I'll know how to help her."

"Ah, boy," the head priest sighed a little. "Well, if she's not a violent spirit, there's no harm in taking your time, I suppose. Just be sure to not get attached. That will only hurt both of you."

Shuuichi bowed, agreeing with that assessment; the last thing he wanted was for her to be tied to the living realm because of him.

"This shouldn't take too long; the elders they want you for are ready to go, they just wants some company until then."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Hospitals were never cheery places. But at least this one didn't hold too many restless, unhappy spirits. After checking in with the front counter, he was led back to the room where he met a pleasantly tired elderly couple that had spent the past sixty years together quite happily. He listened with a small smile as they recounted parts of their life together, holding hands that crossed the gap between their beds. They reminded him of his own mother and step-father, still quite happily married, and made him wonder, a little, what sort of future he would have himself.

They were still holding hands with the elderly woman's heart monitor flat-lined. The old man was only moments behind, and Shuuichi spoke soft prayers for the both of them as the nurse wrote down the time of death.

"-I'm tellin you, we're not doing it!" came the shout the minute he stepped out into the hall. "She's still alive, damnit, and I'm _not_ giving up on her! That's my _sister_!"

Surprised, he turned to see who was making so much noise, and stared. The angry young man holding a doctor by his coat was a dead ringer for the spirit he'd spent most of the night talking to and trying to help. He was accompanied by another young woman, who put both her hands on his arm, pulling a little.

"Yusuke, let him down," she pleaded. "He's just giving you options, you don't have to follow through!"

Yusuke glared at the doctor, then dropped him. The doctor sat there on the floor for a moment, plainly unwilling to get back up while the angry man was there.

"She's still alive," he repeated, though he didn't sound much calmer. "She never gave up on me, so like hell I'll give up on her."

"Okay, Yusuke," the woman said, wrapping her arms around him. "Okay. Let's go talk to your mom, and stop scaring people."

He grumbled, but allowed himself to be pulled away by the woman. Once he was out of sight, Shuuichi walked over to the doctor, who was still clearly shaken, and helped him gather up the files he'd dropped.

"That punk never changes," came the grumble of another young man who also stopped to help up the doctor. "Sorry about him... You okay?"

"Ah.. yes," the doctor said, getting to his feet and accepting the files from Shuuichi. "But I believe I shall go and sit down for a while..."

He took himself off, still shaking, and Shuuichi turned to the new young man.

"You know him?" and he nodded in the direction Yusuke had stomped off.

"Yeah. Been friends since middle school, me, him, Keiko, and his sister," the taller man said, shaking his head a little. "We were supposed to be celebrating all of us graduation, but...Well, Kimiko got hit by a car a few months ago. Been stuck in a coma ever since."

"I see. I'm sorry for that, it must be hard."

"Yeah..." the young man sighed. "Worse for him though; she's always busted his butt making him get to school and crap like that. He wouldn't ever have passed if she hadn't. I think he blames himself pretty hard, though; he was the one who would've been hit if she hadn't thrown him out of the way."

Shuuichi winced a little; that _would_ explain the rather vehement reaction.

"Is she still alive, or is it just the machines holding her here?" he asked.

"Doc says she's got _some_ brain activity, but I dunno. I'd like her to live as much as Urameshi would, but it might just be kinder to unplug her and let her go..."

"A difficult decision."

"Yeah..." the other man sighed a little. "Better go help Keiko calm him down so he doesn't put a hole in something..."

"Good luck."

He gave Shuuichi a tired smile and turned away, heading in the direction Yusuke had gone. After a moment, Shuuichi allowed his curiosity to direct him, and he walked into the room they had been standing before.

As a spirit, she looked healthy. Here, she was thin. Almost frail. Her dark hair lacked the luster of health, and her face was sunken in a bit, an indication of how long she'd been there.

"You're still alive," he murmured, studying her thoughtfully. "That explains quite a bit. But how to get you back to your body...?"

* * *

"Wait, I'm _what_?!"

He nodded.

"I'm fairly certain that it was you laying in that hospital bed. The story I managed to gather through more luck than I expected was that you'd been hit by a car, pushing your brother out of the way. No doubt you suffered quite a bit of brain trauma as a result, which would explain why you have difficulty remembering certain things."

She just stared at him, having dropped heavily to the ground in a very human manner.

"I'm... still alive?" she whispered. "But... but then why am I like this?"

"I'm afraid I can't answer that," he said, crouching down sympathetically. She needed a hug, but even he couldn't give her that. "If I had to guess, you _did_ die for a very brief period, but they were able to resuscitate you. Unfortunately, I suspect that the longer you remain outside your body, the more detrimental it becomes."

She gave him a helpless look.

"What.. what should I do?"

"Give me a few hours to do some research. I'll come by in the morning, and take you to the hospital. If it _is_ you,I'll do what I can to put you back."

"...what if it's not?"

Shuuichi sighed.

"You're welcome to haunt me for a while in retribution?"

As far as jokes went, it was pretty terrible, but it got a weak giggle, and she rubbed her hands over her face.

"I don't think that'd be very nice... Even if you're wrong, you're trying to help."

He smiled a little, then sighed, and straightened.

"I promise, I'll be back in the morning, Urameshi-san."

She bolted upright, staring at him with wide brown eyes.

"Y... my name..." her voice was a breathless whisper of shock. "U... Urameshi.. That's my family name... I'm..."

Her voice trailed off and she frowned fiercely.

"Urameshi... Kimiko. My name is Kimiko!"

He watched her face light up in delight as she grasped a memory.

"Then, Urameshi-san, yes. You are definitely still alive. And I will do everything I can to return you to your body."

* * *

It was easier said than done, of course. Most of what he could get his hands on all spoke about helping a soul to pass on, not returning it to its body. It made him wish he'd asked her to come with him while he hunted. True, it was too late to visit the hospital, but it would have been nice to have someone to talk too while he hunted through scrolls and books.

Eventually though, he hit upon something helpful. The document was old, far older than most of the things he'd read before, so he handled it with great care, well aware the he wasn't technically _supposed_ to be reading these things. He was still the junior priest, after all.

It detailed a ritual that, with a bit of luck, and the cooperation of her loved ones, might well resoul her body. The trick, of course,would be finding her brother at the very least, and explaining things.

He copied down the ritual carefully, then returned his study material to their places before going to find a phone book. He didn't expect to find Yusuke Urameshi on the first _try_ , but it was probably faster than neglecting his duties to wait around the hospital. It was, if nothing else, a fairly uncommon name; he still had four numbers to try once it was a more polite hour.

After some rest, and taking care of morning duties in the temple, he left the grounds to try them all.

* * *

"So, you're telling me my sister is haunting this playground because she couldn't remember anything and didn't know she still had a body to go back to?" Yusuke asked, his tone somewhere between skeptical and sarcastic.

"Yes," Shuuichi replied calmly. He had expected more than a bit of skepticism, really... "Spirits wander for many reasons, of course, but this is the first I've seen where one has actually _had_ a body to return to."

"Okay, leaving out the fact that this sounds insane, and I'm clearly insane for going along with it, how are you so certain?"

"You were at the hospital the other day, about the same time I was helping an elderly couple with their final passing," he replied. "Your tall friend gave me some details about why you attempted to manhandle the doctor, so I decided to see for myself. The woman on the bed, and the spirit I have been speaking with for the past few days are the same person."

Yusuke went quiet, clearly trying to process this.

"...and you can... what? Put her back?"

"I believe so. The ritual is a bit... fiddly. And needs something from those close to her to draw her back. I doubt the doctors will appreciate it, but we'll have to do most of it there, since I doubt they'd be willing to release a comatose patient."

"Hmph. Stupid doctors..."

Shuuichi stifled a smile; he rather liked this young man, prickly though he seemed. It would certainly be a unique situation, but he was certainly more than willing to try. After all, she had a body, and undoubtedly a life to return to...

"All right. So. What do I need to do?"

"I'll need to gather some things from the temple stores, and pick up the lingering spirit," Shuuichi said after a moment of thought. "If you could meet me at the hospital in two hours, with something your sister held great attachment to, that would be best."

Yusuke nodded, getting up from the table.

"Two hours, and something that was special. Got it."

* * *

"...why do I have to wear this?" she asked, looking at the ofuda warily. "Aren't they supposed to hurt spirits?"

"This one is just going to make you visible for a short while," he said patiently. "I don't know that your brother fully believes me, and I think he would feel better if he could see you for himself first. You don't have to wear it now, but when we reach the hospital, it could be helpful."

She gave him a dubious look, one he'd seen on Yusuke's face not that long ago. He wondered if he'd picked it up from her,or she from him.

"How close are you two, by the way?" he asked.

"Oh, we're twins. Mom was kind of a neglectful parent, so we more or less raised ourselves," she shrugged a little, following him as he started walking. "She's not a bad person, just... she was a mother way too soon. For a while there, we were the only friend the other had, so we've always been really close. Why?"

"It helps to have a strong connection to the living, in your case," Shuuichi said with a small smile. "It will give you an... anchor. A reason to want to go back into your body, according to the ritual's instructions."

"Oh. Yeah, that makes sense." She was quiet for a moment, floating absently along. "Hey... aren't you worried that someone might think you're crazy, talking to the air like this?"

He shook his head slightly, and moved some of his hair so that she could see. After a moment she started giggling;the bluetooth earpiece looked very jarring in combination with the traditional outfit, but it did neatly eliminate the problem; most people would presume he was holding a conversation once the noticed it.

"Clever~" she said, her voice approving. "Though I suppose we should talk about more normal things, since people can only hear half the conversation and might make some weird assumptions."

"If you'd like," he said with a faint smile. "Have you had any luck remembering more about the young man you wanted to meet?"

"...a little. He gave me something before he had to go... a charm, I think, from the local temple. The one you work at. It's kind of why I've always meant to visit, actually. He said he'd bought it for his mother, but thought I'd get more use out of it. I guess it's helped me pretty well for a while, actually... never got me a boyfriend, but then, my brother's reputation for being a jerk and fighting all the time was probably more to blame."

Shuuichi blinked a couple of times, then glanced at her sidelong. That had jarred a memory loose, for him at least; he remembered her now, an angry teenager who had yelled at some other teens at least half again her size for trying to terrorize a group of children, finally decking three of them before they got the hint and left. Watching as she found a place to sit down, and walking over to talk to her.

She hadn't been welcoming at first, but he'd drawn her out with some patience, and had let her talk, sensing that she needed an impartial ear. He'd given her the charm on impulse, really, and hoped that it would give her some good luck.

Apparently it had, but only to a point.

"...hey, Minamino-sashi?"

"Yes?"

"If this works... can I visit you? As me, I mean..."

"I would like that," he replied, smiling faintly.

* * *

"...holy shit," Yusuke squeaked, staring at the glowing outline of his sister in a moderate amount of shock. "Okay, I totally did think this was crazy, but holy _shit_."

Shuuichi covered a smile with his sleeve; Kimiko just sighed, shaking her head a little.

"Well, at least I know _you_ don't change," she muttered. Then smiled a little, albeit sadly. "Hi dummy."

"Ah, shaddup," he grumbled, rubbing the tip of his nose in clear embarrassment. "So this ensouling whatever... how's it work?"

"I need to do a few things on this side of the bed... to be of most help, I recommend you take that chair and hold her hand while I work," Shuuichi replied, carefully lifting the small, battered charm from Yusuke's hand, placing it lightly on the forehead of Kimiko's body. "It may take a bit of life energy from you as well..."

"Will it hurt him?"

"Ah, lay off sis," Yusuke shot before Shuuichi could say anything. "You've... done a lot for me. So I can take it if it hurts."

"It shouldn't," Shuuichi put in as Kimiko frowned. "It may be tiring, but it shouldn't cause harm. A bit like staying up for two days straight."

"Besides, if it gets you back, then I can pay any price."

The sentiment clearly surprised her, and she flushed, then waved a hand awkwardly at her brother.

"Okay, okay, fine. Not like I can stop you anyways..."

"Damn right you can't."

Shuuichi smiled a little as they bickered, carefully setting up what all he had brought with him from the temple. The ofuda to keep out any unwanted spirits who might try and take the opportunity to leap into an open body; the small charcoal brazier he'd had to smuggle in so that he could burn the necessary herbs that would open body the body and the soul, and hopefully re-establish the connection between them; the handheld fan to actually get the smoke from the herbs to her nose and mouth... And then of course the herbs themselves.

About midway through piling in the charcoal, he realized that he was being studied, and glanced up to see both pairs of brown eyes focused on him.

"Yes?"

"Is this going to get _you_ in trouble?" Kimiko finally asked.

"Perhaps a little," he shrugged lightly, "but this is my task, to fix as I see fit. At the worst, I might not be allowed to this temple for a few years."

"See? Told you you were fussing about nothing," Yusuke said with a faint smirk.

"...what about other side effects?" she asked after glaring at her sibling. "You're the one performing this ritual, what's it going to do to you?"

"Probably tire me out," he said with a smile. "But there will be no lasting harm. I appreciate the concern, though."

She looked flustered, and her gaze slid to the side.

"I just...don't want people being hurt on my account. Is all."

"Worry wart," Yusuke said... but there was enough affection in his tone that she only stuck her tongue out at him.

"We will both be fine," Shuuichi said reassuringly. "Perhaps in a bit of trouble with the staff, but otherwise, fine. Now. Let's begin."

* * *

"Did it work?" Yusuke asked, lifting his head a little from where it had dropped while Shuuichi had performed the ritual.

The priest was holding on to the edge of the bed, panting for breath; he felt rather like he'd been running for several hours, though he did glance up at Yusuke's question, then looked towards Kimiko's face.

As if responding to their gaze, she took in a deeper breath than she had been previously, and several of the monitors seemed to react simply to that. Her eyelids fluttered slightly, but did not open, and both young men slumped a little in disappointment.

"I believe so," Shuuichi said. "Though it appears we may have some time to wait before she can wake up yet."

"...you look kind of terrible. I'll help you get all this crap back to your temple or whatever."

"Thank you."

* * *

He did get in some trouble with the head priest for attempting the ritual without saying anything, but Shuuichi considered it a stroke of good fortune anyways. And two days later, stepping out onto the grounds to start the sweeping, he paused, and then smiled.

She was in a wheelchair, and she looked so frail, but her brown eyes sparkled with delight. At her side was her brother, one hand lightly on the chair back in a protective manner. Kimiko lifted one hand, and he approached quickly, seeing her fingers tremble.

"I see you've made it out of the hospital."

"Well, not permanently. I have to stay for a while longer to undergo physical therapy, since I was out for six months," Kimiko said with a smile. "But I snuck out~ I wanted to come see you."

"We're pretty sure the docs are all gonna be pissed," Yusuke said with a grin. "But hell, this seemed like a faster way to catch you than a phone."

"More sensible too, as I am in a bit of trouble myself," he admitted, starting to sweep. "But I am glad to see that it worked out so well."

"You got in trouble?" Kimiko frowned a little. "For _helping_?"

"Mostly for not telling the head priest what I'd planned on doing," Shuuichi said with a rueful smile. "He agreed that it was for a good cause, but that next time I should tell him anyways, so that he doesn't have to worry. All it means it that I have to do more chores and errands for a while. Don't worry."

She didn't necessarily look pleased, though he suspected her lack of argument was more because she was still quite fatigued.

"You should come visit," Yusuke suggested with a grin, easily sliding out of reach when his sister tried to smack him. "Give her someone else to talk to while she suffers from pure boredom."

Shuuichi chuckled a little, nodding.

"I had planned on it. I will endeavor to make it a regular thing."

"Awesome. I'll bring around everyone else, too. Dunno if anyone'll believe what happened, but they'd probably like to meet you."

"Ah, yes, thank your tall friend for me. If not for his input, I doubt this would have been resolved so quickly."

"Kuwabara actually did something useful? That's a first-ow!"

Kimiko had given up on trying to smack Yusuke; instead, she'd run his foot over with the chair.

"Yuu, be nice," she scolded. "And also, go away for five minutes, will you?"

"Jeez. Some appreciation I'm getting," he scoffed, grinning a little. "Fine, fine, I'll be over there. Yell at me when you're ready to go."

She rolled her eyes at him as Yusuke sauntered away; Shuuichi chuckled a little,shaking his head lightly.

"Idiot," she grumbled, though it was plain that she didn't mean it. After a moment she sighed, fiddling with the blanket draped over her lap. "I... I wanted to say thank you. For... well, everything, really. You didn't have to do any of it, you could have just tried to send me on."

"I am glad to help, Urameshi-san," he said with a smile. "Gladder still that this whole event had such a positive outcome."

"Kimiko," she said firmly, holding out a hand that trembled despite her clear efforts to control it. "Just Kimiko."

His smiled widened slightly, and he took her hand, holding it gently for a moment.

"Then you may call me Shuuichi. It is a pleasure to meet you."


End file.
